Railway vehicle



June 20, 1939. E, G. HALLQUIST ET Al. 2,163,257

RAILWAY VEHICLE Filed April 13, 1935 a; i l Si@ Q 4:- Q 1 u:dlllrblhrlll II llllllll I I l L :V @f El :Vl l# Patented June 20, 1939UNITED .STATES narrar caes Sheehan, Merion, Pa.,

assignors .to General Steel Castings Corporation, Granite City, Ill., acorporation of Delaware Application April 13, 1935, :Serial INo. 16,1144

9 Claims.

The invention relates to railway rolling stock and more particularly tothe mechanism and associated structure whereby the load is pro `tected`from injury by draft, buff, braking, and like forces.

In the usual railway car, the under-frame has a draft gear at each endproviding forv approximately three inch movement of the coupler,relative to the underframe, resisted by a comb-ination of spring andfriction elements, and the load supporting or enclosing members arerigid with the frame. Accordingly, all shocks no matter how severe, ifnot absorbed during the three inch movement of the draft gear, will betransmitted directly to the car frame and the load, and in modern heavyrolling stock and heavy loading the three inch movement is insu'lcientto absorb these forces.

To remedy this situation it has been proposed to use a continuous memberthroughout the length of the car for transmitting draft and bumng forcesthrough the car, but the car framing or load carrying structure isanchored to the continuous draft member by yielding connection whichwill provide for relative movement Vexceeding the three inches availablewith standard draft gear.

The present invention relates to the latter type of cars, and it is oneobject of the invention to simplify and otherwise improve thelongitudinal force transmitting member, to simplify and improve theyielding connection of the same to the car framing, to better adapt thecar framing for the assembly therewith of 'a continuous longitudinalforce transmitting member and otherwise to better absorb thelongitudinal forces arising from train operation so Ythat the same willbe eliminated before reaching the load for will be reduced to such anextent that they will be harmless when transmitted to the load.

These and other detail objects are attained by the structure shown inthe accompanying drawing, in which- Figure l is in part a top view andin part a horizontal section through one end `and 4side of a railway-vehicle underirame embodying the invention.

Figure 2 is a side elevation oi the same structure showing it in use asa carrier for lading containers which may be mounted on the underframeand securely fixed thereon.

Figures 3 and 4 are vertical transverse sections on the correspondingsection lines of Figure 1.

The vehicle underframe shown in Figures 1 to y4, inclusive, comprisesside sills li and a center of lading containers 5, each constructed tobe (Cl. 213-8)v sillor `intermediate sill structure 2, extending thefull length of lthe underframe, and connected near each end by end sills3 and bolsters 4. The Vehicle may be considered a carrier for a seriessecured to the carrier frame by bolts whereby the container, and thelading therein, is locked in xed .position `on the carrier. One or morecontainers. may be applied 'to and removed from the carrier irrespective:of other containers and without alectingthe assembly of othercontainers `with the carrier.

A member l, which hereinafter will be termed a center member or floatingcenter structure,

transmits longitudinal buff, Vdraft and braking l15 forces from onevehicle to the next and is boX shape in cross-section and extendsthroughout the length "of the underframe, passing through the bolsterstructures and projecting 'beyond the end sills to `mount a draft gearat each end of the car. The draft gear may be of any suitable Vtype asis indicated by the coupler 8. It will be secured to thecen'ter memberby a key (not shown) extending through slots 9 yin the center member.Center member 'l is bifurcated at the bolster 'to Aprovide two spacedapart box-sections it pass- Vsills and holsters except that each bolsteris vprovided with deep upwardly extending recesses on its lower face toreceive center member `sections Hl in between the center structure H andthe side bearing mounting portions l, and a bottom Cover plate l5 isapplied to the bottom of the bolster structure after the center memberhas been assembled with the underirame. This plate may be riveted,bol-ted, or welded to the remainder of the bolster structure and may beremoved when it is necessary to disassemble the center member and theunderframe. Plate l5 is apertured to receive the downwardly projecting'portion of center structure il terminating in the center plate whichrests upon the truck.

Pairs of brackets i6 project laterally from opposite sides of centermember 'l -a short distance inwardly from each bolster and respectivefolllower thimbles Il are slidably mounted in brackets I 5 extendingthrough the same and into a position to engage opposing brackets I8projecting inwardly from` center sills 2. A coiled spring I9 iscompressed between the opposing faces of followers I'I and a rod 20passing through spring I9, followers I1 and one bracket I8 maintains theassembly of the spring and followers.

Assuming the parts to be in a normal position,

as shown in figure l, longitudinal force appliedV to the center member 1in the direction of the arrow A will cause the right hand bracket IB toengage the corresponding follower I1 and move the same to the left,thereby compressing spring I9 against the left hand follower I1 whichwill be seated against the bracket I8 on the underframe. The elongatedopening between center member sections I0 provide for the movement ofthe member through the bolster without interfering with the center platecarrying portion Il of the bolster. Hence the force will be absorbed byspring I9, which can be made as long as is considered desirable for thepurpose of protecting the lading.

The relative movement between adjacent cars is limited by draft gear 8and this will correspond to the three inch movement referred to in theintroductory7 portion of the specification. Relative movement of thecenter member and the underframe, and lading thereon, will not affectthe relative movement of adjacent cars and therefore the train may beoperated in the ordinary manner, including the bunching of slack instarting under heavy load.

It will be understood that forces operating in a direction opposite tothat indicated by the arrow A will be resisted by the mechanism partsoperating oppositely to the operation described above. It will beunderstood also that another spring and follower seat is on the oppositeside of the center member and corresponding shock absorbing structuresare located near the bolster at the opposite end of the car. Obviouslythe number of shock absorbing mechanisms and the lengths of theirrespective springs can be increased or decreased as desired.

The oating center member may be applied to and removed from theunderframe structure, by dropping the floating member, and withoutdisassembling any of the parts of the latter eX- cept that it isnecessary to remove the bolster bottom cover plate l5 but this may bedone without affecting the truck engaging portion of the centerstructure Il and without destroying the beam value of the bolsterwhereby the underframe may be supported when the trucks are removed.

The longitudinal draft and bufng forces are transmitted in a horizontalplane from coupler to coupler and the shock absorbing mechanism betweenthe center member and the underframe functions in the same generalhorizontal plane as the line of longitudinal forces applied to thecenter member, thus avoiding undesirable moments which result fromvertically offset points of transmission of such forces as has beenpresent in shock absorbing devices having the same general purposes. Y

The shock absorbing mechanism is located exteriorly of the center memberand may be assembled with and disassembled from the center member andthe underframe without taking the center member or the underframe sillsapart. This facilitates manufacture and maintenance of this general typeof vehicle and is particularly advantageous in making possible the useof cast metal or unitarily Welded underframe and center memberstructures, or other structures resembling cast metal construction inbeing homogeneous or comprising permanently assembled parts formed intoa rigid unit by welding, riveting or otherwise. Such structures cannotbe used exclusively or to comparable advantage if it is necessary toprovide for taking the center member or underframe apart in order toassemble them with each other or with the shock absorbing mechanism.

The exclusive use of variations of the details of construction as comewithin the scope of the claims is contemplated.

What is claimed is:

1. In a railway vehicle, frame including spaced sills, a floating centerstructure located between said sills for transmitting draft and buiiingforces between adjacent vehicles, elements on said structure extendingtowards said sills, a plurality of elements on said sills extendingtowards said structure, corresponding pairs of said elements overlappingeach other lengthwise of the car, and an individual shock absorbingmechanism including yielding means extending between the elements ofeach pair of said center structure elements, and follower membersextending between said yielding means and said sill elements and passingthrough said structure elements.

2. In a railway vehicle, a frame including spaced sills, a iioatingcenter structure located between said sills for transmitting draft andbuiiing' forces between adjacent vehicles, brackets on said structure,spring followers slidable on said brackets longitudinally of saidstructure, and elements on said sills extending towards said structureand Seating said followers.

3. In a railway vehicle, a frame including spaced sill elements andbolsters near opposite ends of the frame, each bolster having adepending portion between said elements arranged to rest upon and engagea truck, a longitudinalforce transmitting member extending centrally ofthe frame intermediate said bolsters and having diverging arms locatedbetween said elements near each of said bolsters for receiving saiddependent portion of the adjacent bolster between them, said bolsterhaving downwardly opening recesses adjacent said depending portion forreceiving said arms there being a tie plate connecting the portions ofsaid bolster at opposite sides of said 'recesses and removable from thebolster independently of said truc-k engaging portion to accommodate thedropping of said member from the frame.

4. In a railway vehicle, a frame including spaced sill elements and abolster having a depending portion between said elements arranged torest upon a truck, a longitudinal-force transmitting member extendingbetween said elements and along .the longitudinal center line of saidframe throughout the major portion of its length but provided with abifurcated portion between said elements receiving said bolster portionbetween its bifurcations, said bolster having downwardly openingrecesses adjacent said bolster portion for receiving said bifurcations,there being a plate extending across said recesses and removable toprovide for dropping of said member.

5. In a railway vehicle, a frame including spaced sill elements and abolster having a depending portion between said elements arranged torest upon a truck, and a longitudinal-force transmitting structurecomprising laterally spaced box sections located between said elementsand extending through said bolster at opposite sides of said portion,the inner side walls of said box sections merging with each other atpoints spaced longitudinally of the frame from the depending portion ofsaid bolster.

6. In a railway vehicle, a frame including spaced sill elements and abolster having a depending portion between said elements arranged torest upon a truck, and a longitudinal-force transmitting structurelocated between said elements and comprising parts in front of andbehind said bolster, each part being of box shape cross section, andlaterally spaced box sections extending through said bolster at oppositesides of said portion, the inner side walls of said box sections mergingwith each other at points spaced longitudinally of the frame from thedepending portion of said bolster and the outer walls of said sectionsconverging and merging with the outer walls of said parts.

7. In a railway vehicle, a frame including spaced sill elements and abolster having a depending portion arranged to rest upon a truck, alongitudinal-force transmitting structure comprising a single box girdersection in front of and behind said bolster and transversely spaced boxgirder sections passing through said bolster at opposite sidesI of saidportion and merging with said first-mentioned box sections at pointsspaced longitudinally of the frame from said bolster depending portion,all of said box girder sections being located between said sillelements.

8. In a vrailway vehicle, a frame including a bolster having an uprightvertical portion of arcuate cross section, a force transmitting memberhaving transversely spaced box girder structures at the sides of saidvertical portion, the inner walls of said structures merging in arcuateform at points spaced from the front and rear of said bolster portion.

9. In a railway vehicle, an underframe including spaced longitudinalsill elements and a bolster connecting the same and having a dependingportion between said elements arranged to engage a truck center plate, asingle longitudinal-iorce transmitting member located intermediate saidsill elements and provided with a coupler at its end and havingdiverging arms located between said elements and spaced from saidcoupler and receiving said bolster depending portion between them, saidbolster having downwardly opening recesses adjacent said dependingportion for receiving said arms, there being a tie plate extendingacross the lower portion of said bolster at the lower ends of saidrecesses and removable independently of said truck engaging portion toprovide for dropping said members from the underframe.

EINAR G. HALLQUIST. WILLIAM M. SHEEHAN. l

